Organization of the Month

During the War Between the States, many of our local citizens went off to war, including some of the men who would found Sam Williams Masonic Lodge #89 in Edgemont on November 3, 1869. Our Lodge would continue to serve our community as many of our members answered the call to serve our country during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and more recently in the Middle East. However, we are not a veterans organization. Freemasonry is a fraternal service organization in many ways like a dozen others who provide a wholesome place for members of their communities to come together in fraternal fellowship and serve many worthy causes. The difference is that we are much older and much larger.

Ancient Freemasonry traces its roots to the building of King Solomon’s Temple and Modern Freemasonry to the Thirteenth Century. Our lodge is one of thousands of local lodges around the world, and we are augmented by a network of appendant bodies such as the York Rite, Scottish Rite, Eastern Star, and many others. Together we collectively contribute over a million dollars a DAY to deserving charities, hospitals, and other organizations; and our network of over four million members is larger than all of the other fraternal service organizations combined. These are examples of good people doing good works. And, speaking of good works, few people realize that St. Jude Children’s Hospital, The Happy Trails Children’s Foundation, Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women, The Mellon Foundation, the Mayo Clinic, Little League Baseball, Pop Warner Football, The Red Cross, The Boy Scouts of America, the Salvation Army and many more organizations were ALL founded by prominent Masons!

However, while we are international is scope, each lodge attends the needs of their locality. The Freemasons of Sam Williams Lodge #89 continue to serve the communities of Cleburne and Van Buren counties, and one of our most sacred charges is to assist those in need, especially the needs of our children and their education. To that end our Lodge offers annual scholarships to deserving seniors of Shirley High School and Westside High School. We also assist with relief for those affected by disaster.

The goal of Freemasonry is, “to take good men and make them better,” by studying philosophy, religion, the arts (particularly architecture), the sciences and mathematics (particularly geometry), and by incorporating fellowship, charity, and community service into their lives.

We are pleased to serve as our Lodge celebrates it’s 150thbirthday this year.